The 2nd Second Chance
by Eyes-of-Crimson
Summary: Edvy, possible WrathxAl. After the events of Shambala, Ed and Al continue a journey for the vagabond. But at Ed's eighteenth birthday, Al brings up a fact that Ed thought he would have preferred not to unbury: Envy, Wrath, and Gluttony aren't dead.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This'll also probably be Humor, so I might change that Action/Adventure genre later.

**Disclaimer:** I wish I could at least draw these guys right...

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Prologue

"-Happy birthday to you!"

Edward Elric then blew out the eighteen candles lighting his round, white-iced cake. In curvy, precise letters "Happy Birthday Edward" was spelt in red with two little black winged and crowned Flamel crosses on each side of the message. Upon glancing again at the last dancing flame, he blew again, this time shyly for missing one. Cheers erupted in the room, happily celebrating the occasion.

Alphonse, Ed's younger brother, hugged Ed tightly, laughing. Ed merely grinned. Then a strong hand was rubbing the top of his blond head and he groaned slightly as he glanced up. Officer Hughes, a former member of the Nazi party, was hovering above him, grinning that wide grin Ed had missed from another time.

"Finally a man, eh, short stuffs?" Hughes joked, scratching Ed's head with his rough fingers. Ed smacked the hand away.

"I'm not short!" he yelled. Alphonse giggled in his ear.

"No more long rants, brother?" he asked.

Ed chuckled sheepishly. "I guess Hughes is right this time, huh?" Al nodded, giving his brother a tighter squeeze.

"What do you mean 'this time', Edward?"

"Ah, nothing. C'mon, let's cut this! Noah's food's great!"

Noah, standing shyly in the back, blushed. "It's not that great..."

Ed looked behind him and beckoned her over. "You don't have to be modest about it." he said, smiling reassuringly. Noah's lips formed a tiny smile, and she edged closer to the crowd, looking quickly over at Hughes nervously.

"I can't help it, I guess."

"Well, where's the knife? Ed should be the one to cut it." Hughes cut in, holding back a gypsy comment. He'd been trying, and was currently succedding. As if on cue, Gracia walked in, carefully handling a large butcher's knife.

"Here you go, Edward." she said, handing it to Ed. Ed took it in his left hand, not trusting his unchecked-in-a-year auto-mail very much. Al didn't seem to trust either, and took a few steps back.

"Okay, here it goes..." Ed muttered, dipping the tip into the cake and slowly bringing the blade down, making a slit. Another round of applause took place, though Edward had no idea why. But, he was grinning all the while, not failing to note that it was the second birthday of his to be hosted by Maes and Gracia Hughes.

_"Amazing. You didn't cut yourself, pipsqueak."_


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Dun own.

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"Brother?"

Ed looked back over his shoulder from his gaze at the darkening horizon to his younger brother, his fork hanging from his mouth.

"Hm?"

Al laughed softly and walked all the way outside, closing the door behind him. He took the spot next to Ed, removing the fork from his brother's mouth as he did.

"Why are you out here? Surely you can't be thinking deeply at a time like this!" Al exclaimed, waving the fork in Ed's face. Ed stared at the utensil, crossing his eyes for a moment.

"You know how I am, Al. I can't help it." he said, turning his attention to the cake on his plate and how he was going to eat it without the fork. Al sighed. He placed the fork on Ed's plate, watching as his brother eagerly picked it up and started eating.

"What're you thinking about?"

Edward paused his chewing, wondering if he should voice his concerns about the voice he had heard earlier. Not only at the party, but other times, too. He recognized it at the first syllable as someone he'd rather forget. Sadly enough, _things_ like _those_ are hard to forget; especially if a certain one plagued your thoughts almost hourly.

He shrugged, putting on an act for his dear little brother. Swallowing the cake in his mouth, he muttered, "Stuff."

Al rolled his eyes, but left it alone, knowing that Ed would only avoid it longer if he continued pressing the matter.

"So...we've found Pride and Lust?" he asked, sipping his drink. Ed grinned just a bit.

"Yeah. I think there's a Greed over in Paris. Remember?"

"Ha ha! Yeah. He's a lot like the Homunculus Greed was."

At this, Ed looked at his brother, whose tone had admiration in it. "How so?"

Al thought for a moment, searching his foggy memories. "I want to say his loyalty, but I think there was something else..."

Ed blinked a few times. Well, Al _had_ been in Greed's company more than he had and the times he was they both just fought, so maybe there was a side to the Sin he didn't know of. He shrugged a little. "He was a nice guy, I guess."

Smiling, Al nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He was." The brothers were silent for a moment, Ed chewing and Al sipping quietly. They stared at the sky beyond the buildings, savoring one of the rare calm moments that they had just gotten used to. Everything on the other side of the Gate, where they were born and learned Alchemy, was always so hectic in the search for the Philosopher's Stone; even going to visit Winry and Auntie Pinako back in Rizenbul.

Neither would say it aloud, but they both missed the wrench-happy girl more than they'd like to admit.

As if they were sharing the same train of thought, Ed said without explaining, "Do you think we can go back?"

Al, a sad look taking over his features, shrugged slightly. "I don't know, brother. We can't use alchemy here." he muttered, rubbing his eye self-consciously. Ed sighed.

"But how did the Thule Association do it? Surely Envy couldn't have been enough..." he responded, hoping Al didn't catch the little involuntary pause between _Envy_ and _couldn't_ that he barely did. Al shrugged.

"Same with Gluttony and Wrath." he said softly, flinching a bit at the vivid memory. Ed smiled comfortingly and patted Al's back.

"Hey, it's alright. Wrath's probably with Teacher, ne?"

Al, despite himself, grinned. "Yeah...he was real sad when she...you know..."

Ed nodded. He removed his hand from Al's back, and shoved the last piece of cake into his mouth. He chewed for a longer time than needed, mulling over the fact that he hadn't been there to say goodbye. That kind of thing always seemed to be a big blow to the human mind, and he was being hit with it right now.

Al tapped his cup thoughtfully, and gasped. "Brother! What if--" he started, but stopped short, a blank look on his face. Ed turned his head quickly to his sibling, swallowed harshly and questioned loudly in worry,

"Al? Al!"

A fearful look took place of the blank one, and Al started panicking. "Brother! The voice!! It's a voice!" he yelled, dropping his cup and clutching his head. Ed, who had been having the same issue, nearly face faulted.

"What's it sayi--"

But Al's hurried and frantic ramblings cut him off. Al was looking around everywhere, going as far as standing up and moving around comically searching for the voice's owner. Ed would have laughed his head off it weren't his brother in such a state.

"Al. Calm down. What's it saying?" Ed soothed, getting up as well. Al took a few deep breaths, his eyes still rapidly moving around.

"It's...it's telling me...telling me to...to..."

"Is it a bad thing?"

Al's paranoid look ceased as he stared at Ed for a moment, as if considering that question. "...Depends."

Ed let out a sigh. "Then do it and maybe it'll stop."

_Whack!_

"OW!! AL!! What was that for?!" Ed shouted, dropping his plate and fork to grab the lump on his head made by Al's ever-solid fist. Al whimpered.

"But you told me to! Both of you!"

Ed grumbled a bit longer, rubbing his injury. "Why did it tell you to do that?"

Al shrugged. "It said, 'Hit your brother for me and tell him to listen to me instead of blocking me out.' Brother, has it been talking to you, too?"

Ed blinked. And blinked again. "Oh...fuck."

"Brother!"

"It's Envy!! I can cuss if it's Envy!!"

"Envy?"

"Yes! The palm-tree, the dragon, that _stupid bastard Homunculus_!"

_"Palm-tree?! Oh, Edo, you're gonna regret that."_


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** This has been written for a while, but my computer/internet was down for that while. Four reviews :3 so happy ish me

**Disclaimer:** I can hardly draw Havoc's hair right

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"Do you two have to leave so soon?" Gracia asked, a pleading in her voice. "You just got back, though!" 

Ed smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, but we're searching for something."

"Again." Al muttered, sighing. He wasn't bitter about it, oh no. It was just that every time they found something they had to go looking for something else almost right away, even if they were separated. Must have been an Elric thing or something.

Gracia sighed softly, smiled and handed Al a basket. "At least take this. I've made some pie for both of you to share." she said. Ed nodded, grinning eagerly. Anyone with the name Gracia Hughes made great apple pies as far as he knew.

"Thanks. If we don't catch Hughes on our way and he asks about us can you tell him we said bye?" he asked. Gracia nodded.

"Of course, Edward. I'll tell Noah as well when she wakes up."

Ed and Al gave a nod of thanks and waved goodbye as they walked off, their destination being the train station. They carried just a bit of luggage, a suitcase for both of their clothes and a briefcase with their other stuff like notes and pamphlets. A few pictures were in there, too, most of them taken in Munich by Hughes. The brothers found their collection of Hughes-taken photos empty, however, without the presence of Elysia riding her tricycle or smiling or just sitting there playing with her dolls, oblivious to her crazed father's obsession.

But it wasn't as if they could see that Hughes or new photos from him anymore, sadly enough.

"Brother, isn't that our train?"

Ed's attention snapped from his little cloud of thoughtfulness to the departing train, moving just a little bit. And as Ed's reactions to things go, he screamed.

"AH!!" he yelled. "AL, C'MON!!" Ed took off running as fast as he could, Al rushing right beside him. They jumped on the platform, and paused to relocate their train. It was picking up speed, and another shout was sounded by Ed, causing them both to take off again, waiting for the caboose to come up in front of them.

Al, taking the lead, threw the small suitcase onto the floor of the open end surrounded with a fence-like railing except one small section, gave Ed the pie, and leapt onto the train. Then, Ed tossed the briefcase so that Al caught it and jumped on himself, catching the railing with his left hand and grasping the basket in the right. For a moment his left foot slipped and he dropped down just a bit, but Al held his onto arm and hoisted him up onto the platform.

A few onlookers clapped and hooted, amused by what just happened. The blond brothers grinned sheepishly, grabbed their bags and calmly entered the cabin. When they found seats and a ticket taker rid them of their pre-bought tickets, they looked at each other for a moment, resting.

It was when the entire car fell into silence that Ed and Al burst out in laughter.

"I can't believe we did that!" Al commented, tears in his eyes.

"I can't believe we're alive!" Ed added, holding his side. People in the train looked at them, a few glaring. They soon quieted, wide smiles on their faces.

"So, can we eat?"

"Yeah, sure. You've been wanting this since you were in that armor."

Al cheered, happy that he could now taste the infamous Gracia Hughes's homemade pie his brother and Winry had loved so much.

As they ate, they chatted a little between bites and mouthfuls. Some topics concerned money to buy food and where they were going next. For a while they talked about their search for the Philosopher's Stone, but the discussion was cut short by a mention of a death or something unpleasant.

"So, earlier..." Ed started. Al looked at him, swallowing.

"You mean last night?"

"Yeah. What were going to say before Envy butted in?"

Al thought for a minute. "...I'll get back to you on that. But what's with this whole 'Envy's voice' thing?"

Ed shrugged. "I don't know. He seems to only talk every five or ten minutes. For which we should be very grateful for." he said, smirking just a little at the fact that he was badmouthing Envy and that he couldn't get hit for it.

Briefly, the feminine voice broke into his mind. _"Bitch."_

Ed grinned wider. Al sighed, having a good idea of what was going on. "Brother, what if he comes back somehow? You're not going to like it." he said exasperatedly. Ed shrugged.

"I don't think he can. He was transmuted."

Al blinked for a minute and gasped. "I remember what I was going to tell you!"

Ed cut another piece of the pie and took a bite. "Go on." he said.

"Well, this is just an idea, but what if Envy, Wrath, and Gluttony aren't dead? I mean, what if they're just stuck in the Gate?"

"That's silly. They were all--"

"But they didn't loose their Red Stones. And Wrath once mentioned something of becoming weaker without Dante's replenishment of them. I think a Homunculus dies when their Red Stones run out."

Ed, finding that that made more sense than he thought, got his infamous scared look. "B-but..." He shook his head, the expression changing. "No way. I defeated Greed and Sloth and they didn't loose any Red Stones. I just rearranged their composition."

Al shook his head. "But Wrath had absorbed a part of Mother's body and thus weakened Sloth greatly when he fused with her, so it was easy for you to just make her evaporate so thoroughly."

"But Greed--"

"You said you stabbed him and he bled, right?"

"Yeah..."

"That blood was probably liquefied Red Stone. And you don't know if he had lost some before."

"There _was_ a skeleton there on the table..."

"Exactly! It was Greed's! It had to be! Because when the big guy hammered off Greed's head, he didn't die even with all the "blood" pouring out!"

Ed suddenly wondered when his little brother had become so intelligent. Everything he said made perfect sense! That fact only brought fear to his face.

"Then...then...Envy...Wrath...Gluttony..."

"They're inside the Gate."

Ed said nothing. Al, too determined to prove his point to be proud of himself, was on the edge of his seat. He was taken aback when Ed chuckled. It was low, nearly bitter.

"Why are we discussing this? It's not like we want them in this world." Ed muttered, his eyes closed and his face downcast. Al, a little hurt, sat back.

"It was just a thought..."

"A thought. Exactly. We shouldn't trouble ourselves over this. C'mon, let's finish this before it gets too cold."

Al nodded and took another piece of the pie, eating it slowly. Ed tried to erase the conversation from his memory, but couldn't help dwelling on it. He knew he should forget, but the information and what it could do was just too sickeningly delicious to his mind.

_"You want me and you know it, pipsqueak. The temptation's gonna build up, just watch. I'll be waiting."_


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** As much as I adore FMA, I don't own it.

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Every step he took in this place was silent instead of the familiar padding sound that normal bare human feet made. It didn't bother him at first since he hadn't heard it in a long time, but it began to grow on him, and he stomped around in futile attempts to create some kind of noise. There were no walls he could pound on or floors he could stamp a crater into, just some unidentified plane that kept him from falling. He hated the fact that when he looked down he couldn't be awed by his elevation or when he looked up he couldn't be jealous of another's height over him.

The only sound he ever heard here was Edward and Alphonse Elric's voice and his own. Pride was nowhere to be found so he assumed that he had been killed like Greed, Lust and Sloth. He didn't want to admit it, but he was lonely in this empty place of nothingness. The only company he had consisted of two blonde's whom in the past he had yearned to kill.

Envy stood there, staring at nothing. That younger Elric was smart. He _was_ just trapped here. And, annoyingly enough, with Wrath and Gluttony who were somewhere else inside this cursed Gate. He bit his tongue, the tip of which stuck out between his lips. He wanted, no, _needed_ to get out of here. Though he had nothing left to do in the outside world, he wanted out.

One reason he wanted out was freedom. Envy liked freedom. His strings with Dante had been severed yet here he was, stuck in another place he wanted to destroy. The second was curiosity. As a dragon, he saw a few things he found interest in. Tall buildings and flying machines weren't something he saw in Central. The third and final reason he wanted out?

That damn Chibi.

Envy didn't want to kill him anymore, despite his past obsession. Now he just _wanted_ him. For what specific use and purpose he'd yet to figure out, however. Then again, that little reason could have been brought upon by Edward's reply to his taunt.

_"Or is it that _you_ want _me_, Envy?"_

Oooo, that little...

Envy sighed, kicking whatever this air consisted of. He was so bored, he actually thought about going to find Wrath. That would make him feel _slightly_ better. Kicking Wrath around sounded fun...

A small blue light suddenly shined before him, glowing teasingly. Envy glared at it. That was his ticket to the outside. Ed's blood. His alchemy. Envy found it odd that Ed bled so often.

Then again, he found Ed as a person odd, so he really shouldn't bother.

Back to the alchemic light. He continued to glare at it, hating it for bringing him so close to what he desired yet wouldn't allow him to get there. He didn't know why he never told Ed that his or Al's blood would make their alchemy work, because it would make this entire painful waiting end. Maybe he just wanted them to go buzzing around like they always did, for his own amusement. How could he see them, you ask? Well, this little light acted like a screen that showed the blond duo doing their usual daily routines, and it sometimes split into two to display the brothers when they were separated.

Ed would be so pissed if he knew that Envy knew how 'big' he was...

Envy blushed a little, grinning all the same. He discovered that he was quite the pervert, anticipating when Ed had to excuse himself from something to go relieve himself. The only problem he had with it was that Ed never did anything...dirty. He just did the usual bathroom things, but never anything that would excite Envy into doing it himself. He'd been tempted to talk to Ed while he was at the toilet in attempts to get him to do those things he wanted to see.

Actually, Envy would save that for when the former State Alchemist was taking a shower instead...

All he would have to do was talk while that blue light was there and get the timing right for when he spoke, the light would slowly fade until it was no longer there. It'd fade more if he willed himself to talk to Al. It sucked. But, as the random Elric-bleeding goes, the light would come back. Envy loved it when he actually shut up for a while and the screen got huge and then Ed stripped down and stepped into a shower, turned on the water and--

"God, I'm a pervert." he muttered, grinning. As he said this, the light shrunk and the now-tiny Ed on it turned his head, a bright blush on his face.

_"What the hell?!"_

Ed's mouth only moved when Al asked him if he was alright.

"It slipped."

The once again shrinking Ed blushed, causing Envy's interest to peak. Was the little chibi remembering their whole "you want me" thing earlier? Envy grinned again and sat down with his legs crossed, the light shifting down to his preference. He propped his chin up with one hand while the other draped down into his lap. Accidentally his fingers slid along his manhood and he shivered, the boyish temptation hitting him. Being dead didn't mean you didn't have such urges, you know.

He shook his head, mentally telling himself to stay quiet until nightfall. That was usually when Ed showered. He was almost always in too much of a rush to do it in the morning. Envy bit his lip and balled his fist. No doubt words were the only noises to reach Ed's mind.

_I swear, one of these days I'm gonna lose it..._


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I've never read "The Alchemist", but I plan to. And I don't know if it's ever been printed in the little booklet I gave Al, either. And, since I'm a girl, I don't know how a guy responds to his first hard-on or anything :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA or "The Alchemist". If I owned "The Alchemist", I'd have died in 1930-40-something.

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"Ed!" 

Ed peeked out the bathroom door, clutching his towel tight around his waist. Water dripped from his long hair into his mouth when he replied, "What?"

Al came halfway to where the bathroom was, not wanting to discomfort his elder brother. "I found this short story under one of the beds. It sounds interesting."

Ed rolled his eyes. "If it's not about getting home or mechanics I don't want to hear abou--"

"It's titled "The Alchemist", brother."

Ed stared at Al for a moment, unsure of what to think. "When was it written?"

Al flipped the pages of the small booklet in his grasp for a moment, ending at the first page. He examined it. "Well, this was first printed in 1916 and was written about sixteen years ago in 1908."

Rolling his eyes once more, Ed said, "Then I don't think it'll have anything to do with the Thule Association." Without another word he disappeared back into the bathroom, not quite done with his shower. It was around 9-ish that night and he really wanted to get some sleep. As he dropped his towel and turned the knob again, he suddenly wondered if he was being watched.

He looked around the room, soon feeling silly for thinking of such a thing. There was no way someone could be watching him! He laughed softly to himself as he stepped in, smiling at the warm spray of water hitting his chest. He glanced at his automail, frowning at the bit of red.

"This place hates automail..." Ed mumbled, watching the blood being washed away by the water. "Either that or I screwed it up."

He moved his right fingers, trying to remember all the long speeches about automail maintenance. Now that he no longer had Winry to fix all his problems, he had to be extra careful with his metal limbs. In this world he had no infinite supply of money, no fabulous mechanic, and no way of getting it all back. But the bright side, no matter how dim it seemed, was that he now saw through the eyes of a normal person. He didn't have anymore luxuries from the military, only what he and Al could gather up. They tended to depend on people for help now, so it was as if their position in society was switched from people-helping Alchemists to poor little blond kids roaming the streets.

Ed picked the soap up gently in his left hand, not sure if the substance would mess up his automail. He guided it to glide over his body, tiny suds appearing where the water wasn't reaching thoroughly. A sudden image shocked him, and he dropped the bar of soap. He put that hand to his forehead, almost as if pushing the picture away. Why'd he just think of him?!

"Stupid...it's just because he's been bugging you lately..." he reasoned to himself. He blushed a deep red hue when he brought the image back from his memory. Now he hid his face in his palm, embarrassed. "But damn..." he whispered in awe, eyes closed and his mouth forming into a small grin.

Ed shook his head a little and went back to washing himself. He took a little longer on his hair than usual, finding a need to make it more appealing somehow. As he reached to turn off the water, he heard something and he wasn't sure if it was himself or the Homunculus that haunted him.

_"Don't!"_

Ed looked around. That voice sounded just like his own...it couldn't have been Envy...right? After a moment of hesitation he retreated his hand, standing up straight. A part of him was expecting more orders, but the words never came. Then a feeling came over him, making him think that turning off the water, thus ending the shower, was a bad thing.

He cocked his mouth to the side, a flat look on his face. Okay, the water felt good but ending the shower was _not_ a bad thing, and he knew it. Ed chuckled a little.

"That was stupid." he muttered, reaching out once more for the knob. His fingers touched it just as the voice came back, this time harsher and more demanding.

_"I said DON'T, you IDIOT!!"_

Ed flinched. That time it was his voice mixed with Envy's. Well, he had to give the devil his due, that was smart when before he faked Ed's voice to make him think it was a subconscious thought. His face twisted into a disgusted look, though he was still embarrassed.

_Idiot palm-tree..._

_"I heard that!"_

Ed sighed, and stood up with his arms crossed, the shower still going.

_So why shouldn't I turn the shower off?_ Ed thought, trying out a little idea of his. Maybe if he focused he could actually talk with Envy with his thoughts, no matter how unscientific the idea seemed then.

There was a pause, during which Ed gasped when his automail sent a jolt of pain through his body. Strings of blood escaped from the area where the automail was connected to his shoulder, the water mixing in with it to make it fade as it ran down his muscled body. For a moment thoughts of blame crowded his mind, all of them directed at Envy.

_"Because I said so."_

_Quit hurting me!_

_"Huh? Chibi, I can hardly talk for very lon--"_

Ed clutched his shoulder until the pain subsided. So Envy wasn't behind this? That meant that either of his previous explanations were it and not the new one he'd come up with. But he hadn't failed to notice that Envy spoke more as he bled. Was there a connection between the two? Or was it just a coincidence?

He shook his head, waiting for Envy's voice to return. It never came back, even as the trickles of blood seeped their way from the metal. Slowly he worked his arm in circles, glad when there were no jolts or anything. The bleeding soon stopped, and Ed was convinced Envy wasn't going to speak much longer.

When he looked down to his feet to search for the dropped soap bar he was shocked to see what he saw. He hadn't noticed before that his lower regions were throbbing slightly, and now he blushed profusely.

_What the hell?!_

_"Thinking dirty things, Edward?"_

It throbbed again, this time causing Ed to squeak. Okay...that was odd. Envy just said his name and--

Ed's blush increased. He wasn't sure what was going on; this hadn't happened before...

_"You've never had a hard-on? Wow."_

Envy's voice held a tone of wanting to continue, as well as sheer amusement, but for some reason he didn't. Ed gritted his teeth, staring at his erection. The image he'd thought of earlier popped right back with a few more alluring details and his heart beat increased.

He never knew Envy could look so...so...

Quickly he shut off the shower and leapt out, throwing a towel around his waist and panting due to his increased heart rate. He didn't want to look down; he could already tell that the towel was a bit higher in the middle just from the amount of draft around his right leg.

"Calm down, Ed. Calm down. It's nothing, nothing at all. Just don't think abou--"

_"You know, I've actually tried that pose just for kicks before. Did you see it or something? 'Cause that's pretty accurate. Well, minus the orgasmic look, of course."_


End file.
